𝐎𝐧𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐎𝐟 𝐆𝐨𝐥𝐝 // (𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫)

Part 27

"So this is why you haven't been answering your phone?"

"Jere, did you not hear what I said? We are gonna lose this house, Mom's house."

"Why would your Dad sell the house?" I ask.

"He's not, our aunt Julia is."

"Then call Dad and make him buy it."

"He can't afford the house! Between Brown and the medical bills."

"Yeah, I know how much the medical bills cost because I was there." He sighs. "How long did you know, and not tell me?"

"It all happened so fast, I was only gonna tell you when I had it sorted."

"This is you sorting it? Going AWOL, ditching school?"

"Fuck school, I don't care."

"Conrad, how are you gonna have a career if you don't finish school?" I chime in.

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Seriously?" Jeremiah says. "We went all the way to Brown, to check on your ass. Y/N drove hours to check on you, I really didn't think you'd pull this shit again, but you don't care about anyone but yourself." He storms out of the room.

I know Jere is angry, but I also know that comment stung and that it's not true. Conrad's always been quiet about his problems, he isn't selfish, it's just fear. I know, because well, I am the same.

"Sorry if you don't want me here." I tell him, honestly. "So, the house..."

"It's for sale, and Jere doesn't care." He leans against the mantlepiece.

"He does care, but he cares about you more. After everything that happened, you go missing, he thought something really bad happened to you. We both did. I did."

"I got a call two days ago, from Liam, he was asking about a 'for sale' sign outside our house. I thought it was a misunderstanding, so I drove straight here, pulled the stupid sign out of the ground, and threw it away. Seeing that sign was like losing her all over again and I didn't want that for Jere. I'm gonna use my trust as down payment on the house."

"Oh."

"I didn't mean to worry everybody, you guys can go, I've got things handled."

"I'm not going." I walk towards him. "You aren't the only one who cares about this house, if Jeremiah wants to stay and help then it's his decision, you can't make it for him...or me, I wanna be here. I want to help."

Later that evening, I go into Jere's room, where he is struggling to make a bed.

"You'd think they would've invented an easier system by now."

"She used to always have everything fixed up before we got here." He lays down.

"The house feels different without her in it." I then look at him and chuckle. "You're gonna sleep on it like that aren't you?"

"Yep." He says from the half-made bed.

I nod.

"Hey, y/n?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for coming with me, I don't know what happened between you and Conrad but it couldn't have been easy coming here." He sighs. "I'm glad I don't have to do this alone."

I smile.

"I'm glad I came."

I turn around and head out.

"Night." He calls.

"Night." I say back.

I switch the light on in my room and go over to my drawers.

I find an old blue bikini.

My legs are half in the pool and I sit on the side, smoking a bit of weed I left here last summer.

When it's done, I throw it into the bushes and dive into the pool, gracefully swimming around until I rise, and see him.

"Do you still pretend you're in the Olympics?"

I shake my head.

"When you swim, I don't think you'd notice if the house was on fire. You're so into what you're doing, like you're someplace else."

"That's what I like about it."

I dunk my head under and he slightly smiles.

Turning the other way, I do a couple of laps underneath the blue water, before rising, and Conrad being gone.

The next morning, Jere and Conrad argue straight away and Con storms off.

"Can you talk some sense into him? You're the only person who can get through to Conrad."

I nod.

~~

"Did you get your tux yet?"

He looks a bit surprised.

"Uh no, not yet, college prom's only on what the 2nd?"

"The 1st." I sigh. "Oh and remember we have to pitch in if we want that hotel suite."

He looks down at the ground, with an expression I can't figure out.

"Do you want me to order your tux?"

"No, I got it."

He walks closer to me.

"Is everything okay?" I ask.

"Yeah, I just forgot the date."

"Okay." I pull him in for a hug.

"My mum's on new meds, which means the old ones aren't working."

"Okay."

"Sorry, I don't mean to worry you."

"No, no. You can talk to me about everything, especially Susannah."

"Yeah."

I hug him again and rub his back.

I didn't know it then, but I was already losing him.

~~

"Conrad may have listened to me before but, I don't know if he cares what I have to say now."

He nods.

"You hungry?"

I look around for a second, before stumbling upon a pot of hot chocolate. The hot chocolate.

I put it back in the cupboard.

"Suz used to have this place full before we got here."

"If you're hungry, I can get some stuff and make frittatas. I'll go to the grocery store, right by Ocean harbour." He smirks slightly.

"We going to see Aunt Julia?"

"We are going to see Aunt Julia."

'Stay with me, I don't want you to leave.'